This was published 7 years ago
Farewell Sydney 500, it's been exciting ... and frustrating
By Mark Fogarty
Supercars' grand experiment to establish a showcase event in Sydney ends this weekend with a mixture of frustration and excitement.
The frustration is that efforts to gain a foothold for Australia's third most popular sport in the country's biggest city failed, despite creating an action-packed track at an iconic venue.
Shane van Gisbergen is shown the chequered flag during the Sydney 500 on Friday.Credit: Mark Horsburgh
The excitement is that the Sydney 500 at the Sydney Olympic Park street circuit will next year be replaced by a new event run on waterfront public roads in Newcastle.
Sydney's indifference will be replaced by enthusiasm in Newcastle and the surrounding Hunter Valley region for a major annual sporting event.
NSW's second largest city is embracing Supercars' season-ender and while the racing fraternity is charged by the prospect of being wanted rather than tolerated, there are misgivings about leaving Sydney.
Not having a big event in Australia's major metropolitan market questions Supercars' appeal as a commercial and sporting attraction.
It leaves the unloved Sydney Motorsport Park in the far west of the conurbation as the only place V8 racing will be seen in what should be a homeland of support.
But, compared with Melbourne, Sydney is a tough sports market full of other attractions – mainly involving weather and natural sites like the harbour and beaches.
The money – and the interest – for Supercars is in the minor capitals and the regions, with state governments prepared to fund or substantially support existing permanent tracks or glamorising street circuits.
The main reason Supercars is shifting its marquee season-ending street race from Sydney Olympic Park to Newcastle's foreshore is that Macquarie Street, through its Destination NSW tourism and major events agency, will underwrite the cost in the name of 'regional development'.
The NSW government paid for the initial establishment of the SOP track – at a cost of around $30 million – but since the first Sydney 500 in 2009, Supercars has borne the brunt of the outlay.
Despite some ongoing assistance from Destination NSW, it is understood that staging the Sydney 500 resulted in an annual loss for Supercars of up to $4 million.
Anything can happen there. I even hit the medical car one year!
Shane van Gisbergen
The irony is that event has routinely produced incident-filled racing and theatrical title shootouts due to the unforgiving nature of the 3.42 km Sydney Olympic Park street track, which is lined by concrete safety barriers.
As a TV spectacle, the Sydney 500 has excelled – never more than in 2010, when all the title contenders slithered into the walls during a flash downpour.
In the ensuing race to repair the wrecks, James Courtney emerged first to claim enough points to deny Jamie Whincup a third straight V8 crown.
Roaring around the streets surrounding the main venues of the 2000 Olympic Games, the bellowing V8 racers provide plenty of drama, crashing frequently.
Unfortunately, most of the outrageous action is not seen by the bulk of those at the track because of the poor siting from general admission spectator areas.
While limited viewing was blamed for deterring big crowds, despite access and infrastructure that is the envy of other racetracks, the course is praised by drivers as challenging and treacherous.
"It's been an iconic place for our championship since 2009," record six-time Supercars champion Jamie Whincup told Fairfax Media. "It is always eventful.
"There have been a lot of ups and downs – a lot of good times, a lot of heartache, all at the one place, so in some ways it's going to be sad that we're leaving. But at the same time, we're moving on to bigger and better things at Newcastle next season. That's exciting."
Championship leader Shane van Gisbergen, who is set to clinch his first V8 title on the streets of SOP in either of the twin 250 km races this weekend, is also a big fan of the demanding course.
"Anything can happen there," he said. "I even hit the medical car one year! It's a crazy track and for me, I've had great results, won the main race the last three years.
"It'll be sad to see the track go. If you look at it on paper, it's not the best track, but from a driver's point of view, it has everything – and it's still reasonably good for passing.
"The races are pretty tough – 250 km is a long way – and the track is very challenging. So I think it's been a great track, the replacement will be good as well.
"Newcastle is going to be exciting, but I'll be sad to see Sydney go."
V8 legend Mark Skaife, the five-time champion who helped design the SOP circuit, has reservations about Supercars' abandonment of a showcase Sydney event despite his conviction that the move Newcastle will be a big success.
"I think we will miss it," he said. "The Sydney market is a market that we as a sport don't do a good enough job in. We need to work harder on the Sydney market.
"Will you ever get a better precinct in Sydney to show off our sport (than Sydney Olympic Park)? Probably not. I think there are a lot of really big issues attached to moving away from one of the country's pre-eminent sporting precincts and facilities."